Cubs upcoming moves should be as obvious as 1-2-3

Groupthink compels us to believe the Cubs calling up minor leaguers Kris Bryant and Javier Baez or — gasp — signing ace Jeff Samardzija rather than trading him for more prospects would be as smart as bunting with two strikes.

Square up anyway, Theo Epstein.

Start with Bryant, the closest thing to Chipper Jones the Cubs have seen since the former Braves third baseman retired. Bryant entered Wednesday night's action with 22 home runs in 63 games in Double A. If Bryant stays in Tennessee much longer, they will write country-music songs about him.

No good reason exists for Bryant to take any more Double-A at-bats after the Southern League All-Star game Tuesday. On Wednesday, the Cubs should ship Bryant to Iowa where he can improve his defense and annihilate pitching. Where he can reduce his errors — 13 are too many — and strikeouts. By Aug. 1, Bryant will have played nearly 40 games in Triple A and prepared adequately to make the trip to Wrigley Field.

The rule says Bryant requires more minor league experience to learn how to overcome struggles; that The Cubs Way calls for prospects to dominate every level before coming to Chicago. Rules have exceptions, and Bryant looks like one of them.

It is so Cub-like to let concerns over Bryant leaving a year too soon for free-agency dictate the course of his first full season as a pro. Conventional wisdom says the extra year matters because agent Scott Boras' clients such as Bryant seldom sign long-term contract extensions before becoming free-agents. Yet that often gets overstated, ignoring the examples of Angels pitcher Jered Weaver, Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus and Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez — Boras guys who re-signed with their respective teams ahead of schedule.

If the Cubs win as consistently as Epstein expects once all the young talent develops, theoretically Bryant will be a major-market star in the middle of one of baseball's biggest turnarounds. Why would any young player want to leave that?

While the Cubs fret over the service clocks of Bryant and Baez, fans on the North Side nervously keep glancing at their watches. It's well past time for Epstein to pay attention to more than his minor distractions.

That brings us to Baez, who again resembles a budding star after an early slump. Before adding Bryant by Aug. 1 to expose him to major league pitching before opening day in 2015, the Cubs should call up Baez at the All-Star break now that he has preserved an extra year of service time. Give him the rest of June to adjust to second base. Baez can offset any defensive questions by supplying offensive answers.

The Cubs aren't winning anything this season but have played better than their record suggests. They entered Wednesday's game with a negative-nine run differential and, according to Bill James' Pythagorean formula that factors in runs scored and allowed, should have been 30-32 rather than 26-36. The point: Imagine how some oomph to the lineup Baez and Bryant offer might affect a team whose pitching has been stronger than anticipated.

Yes, I still remember the day during spring training 2013 when Epstein told me, "There's no glory in 78 wins instead of 73.'' Indeed, every victory in the summer of 2014 potentially compromises the amateur draft of 2015. But at some point, the losing at Clark and Addison needs to quit looking so tactical. At some point, the Cubs need to stop violating the basic tenets of sports that say the best players play and franchises have an obligation to put the most competitive teams on the field.

Locking up Samardzija would go a long way toward brightening the future too. Flip starting pitcher Jason Hammel for prospects. Land "The Shark'' with a long-term deal.

Still, the percentages say Epstein will trade Samardzija for promising minor leaguers. As the narrative goes, the Cubs then will attack free-agency flush with Chairman Tom Ricketts' money in search of starting pitchers … who project like Samardzija.

Samardzija, a young 29 in pitcher's years, has started only 79 career games because of a start delayed by his weekend hobby as a college football All-American at Notre Dame. This season, Samardzija has begun an ace's ascent that makes reinvesting in his potential smarter and safer than, say, overpaying for free-agent pitchers like Jon Lester or Justin Masterson. Reds starter Homer Bailey recently signed a six-year, $105 million deal and Samardzija likely will command more but, based on baseball inflation, the Cubs would spend their money wisely paying a guy who's good for business.

The defensible move would qualify as the progress Samardzija and his teammates deserve to see at the major league level. Calling up Baez at the All-Star break and Bryant by Aug. 1 would fall under the same category.

Not everybody around town agrees, but it sure beats arguing over bricks and ivy.